The Dreamer's Journal
by remanth
Summary: This is a continuation of the Dreamer's Tale, focusing on Vis's and Lauren's daughters.
1. Chapter 1

March 12, 1984  
Famous prosecution lawyer, Morpheus Visare Talbot, married his fiance, Lauren Ashley Michaels, today in a large ceremony in Our Church of the Saints. The couple tied the knot with members of both large families attending, friends, and wellwishers from the couple's jobs attending. Shortly after the ceremony, the new Lauren Talbot announced that she was pregnant and that they were expecting the baby to be born sometime around October of this year. We wish the happy couple the best of luck and congratulations on their marriage and baby.

October 13, 1984  
It is our honor to report that Lauren Talbot, whom we mentioned earlier this year was pregnant, gave birth to healthy twin girls in St. Mary's hospital. The girls, Aislynn Marie and Elizabeth Tara. The girls were born within minutes of each other and gave voice to healthy wails. They will be coming home within the next three days. Morpheus Talbot, the father of the twins, couldn't be happier and has spent his time making the home ready for the girls. We wish them well in their new family.

February 19, 1991  
A terrible accident has claimed the life of young Lauren Talbot, a nurse at St. Mary's hospital. She was heading home when a drunk driver slammed into the side of her car. She was rushed back to St. Mary's, but died on the way. She leaves a husband and twin girls, both 6 six years old. Our condolances to the greiving family.


	2. Chapter 2

Looking back on the articles from my mother's death twelve years ago, Aislynn and I started to cry a little bit. We read over the banns announcing our birth and felt the hope and promise the words created. Then, all that shattered the day Mom died. We were six and didn't understand why Mom wasn't coming home and why Dad was crying. He never cried. After the funeral, it kinda hit home that Mom wasn't coming back. Aislynn and I cried our hearts out and didn't feel better for weeks.

"Bethie, Mom died twelve years ago. Aren't you over it yet?" Lynn asked me. She saw the misty-ness in my eyes and felt, like always, my sadness as her own. She and I were quite connected, being twins, and knew when the other felt strong emotions. I shook my head in reply to her and placed the slightly yellowed newspaper clippings back in the box. We had been cleaning out the attic of our three story home, more of a mansion really, when we had come across this box. I was surprised to see the faint tear spots on them. I wondered if Dad ever came up here when the grief became too much for him.

"Lynn, you know how much Dad loved Mom. They always spun stories of how they met and how Dad got the ring she always wore," I said. "You think he's over her death yet?" I had pointed out the tear stains to her earlier, but Lynn didn't want to believe that sadness could last so long. It was one of her failings, while one of mine was hanging on to sadness. Opposite sides of the same coin, really. She and I definitely were well-matched as sisters. Lynn shook her head and replied, "It was twelve years ago. Time marches on."

Getting up and dusting her knees off, Lynn shook her long red hair out of her eyes. She got Mom's hair while I got Dad's shaggy brown hair. I continued to go through the box and underneath the clippings, I found a pair of silver rings. The bands were slightly tarnished, but didn't look dingy. They actually looked as if they should have that dark, gray-silver sheen. Both rings had a clear green stone in it, but one was darker than the other. Aislynn finally looked interested in what was in the boxes and plopped back down beside me. She took the ring I passed to her, with the darker green stone. She studied it, as I studied mine, and raised her gray eyes to mine.

"Do you know what these look like?" Lynn asked, breathless. I nodded, too shocked to speak at first. Then, slipping the ring onto my left index finger, I replied, "They look like Mom's engagement ring. The one she was buried with." My voice trailed off at the last few words and both of us were speechless as our gray eyes met once again. What could this mean?


	3. Chapter 3

Looking down at the light green stone on my hand, I could only wonder who had decided to make these rings. Surely it wasn't Mom or Dad; Mom had her own ring and Dad never needed one. Aislynn's eyes again met mine and I nodded to her unspoken question. It was time to find out about where these rings came from. The only person we could ask, the person who had put the clippings and things in the box in the first place, was Dad. I led the way down the stairs, my fraternal twin following, and walked purposely to Dad's study.

I loved our father's study. He had panelled it in a dark, warm oak that was stained nearly black. The floor was covered in a thick, mossy green carpet. His desk, quite large and sturdy, was made of cherrywood and burnished to a dark red gloss. A small bookcase made of slightly lighter cherrywood sat next to the window. I knew from looking through it before that it held only lawbooks and famous court cases. There was a fireplace on the wall opposite the window and two comfy armchairs stood in front of it. The armchairs were a mix of green and blue and sitting in them was somehow comforting. One felt loved and protected sitting in those chairs. I paused a moment and thought of the times after Mom died that Dad had cuddled me and Aislynn, soothing our fears and nightmares. Dad sat behind his desk, shuffling through some papers and muttering to himself.

"Dad, can we talk to you for a minute?" Aislynn asked quietly. Something about his study made one talk quietly. Dad looked happy at our intrusion, as if something wasn't going well for him. He smiled at us and replied, "Sure, honey. Let's go down to the family room." Dad got up and led the way down the stairs, also panelled in wood, and sat down on the couch next to the fireplace in the family room. This room, like the rest of the house, was panelled in wood but in a light cedar. Aislynn sat on the chair across from the couch as I sank to the floor. She and I were both fingering the rings on our hands and wondering who should start.

At Lynn's pleading look, I said, "Dad, we were cleaning the boxes upstairs when we came across one filled with newspaper clippings." Dad stiffened a little but nodded his head for me to continue. "Well, we read the clippings of your marriage, our birth, and Mom's death. And underneath everything, we found these two rings," I plowed on and thrust our my hand to show Dad the ring. Aislynn mirrored me and held out her ring for Dad's inspection. When he caught his breath in surprise, Lynn and I glanced at each other confused. We knew he recognized the rings, but why was he so shocked? He was the one who put them in the box, right? I felt my certainty that Dad could explain this slipping. Who could have put the rings there if not Dad? Did we have a stalker? These and many more questions tumbled through my head as Dad stared at our rings.

Slowly, as if in a trance, Dad reached out and took my hand. He gently slipped the ring off my finger and looked inside the band. He seemed unhappy with what he found there, a frown line appearing between his eyebrows. He did the same with Aislynn's and sat for a long moment. Wordlessly, he handed the rings back and we quickly looked at the inside band. My ring had Love engraved on it while Aislynn's had Forever. Even more confused, we slipped the rings back on our fingers and shared a long look. What was Dad so shocked about? Suddenly, I didn't want to know. I started to get up and Dad grabbed my arm. He shook his head and I sank back down to an Indian style position. Dad sighed once and then looked piercingly at us in what we called his lawyer look.

"Please, girls, don't tell anyone how you found these. If anyone asks, tell them I gave the rings to you. And please don't lose them. These rings may be very important to you two," Dad said cryptically. He stood up and continued, "Well, I need to leave for a little while to see an old friend. I think he's been trying to talk to me and those rings are his way of calling me. Stay here until I get back and then we'll talk further." Dad walked off muttering and I could have swore I heard him say, "That damned raven. He knew." I shook my head, hardly believing what I heard. What was going on here?


	4. Chapter 4

That night, lying awake in the bed I had shared with Lauren for six short years, I wondered what the dream king was doing. He seemed to be calling to my girls, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. The worst part was that Matthew had warned me something might happen.

Right before falling asleep, I remembered Matthew's warning: "Something's up with the Boss. He seems more brooding and angsty than usual. And he keeps messing with two rings that look exactly like your fiancee's." I had shrugged off the dream, thinking I was just coming up with things to keep me occupied. Now, I decided to get some answers.

Unlike the other times I had knowingly been to the Dreaming, I did not find myself on the beach with the multi-colored-eyed dolphins. I found myself right outside the dream king's castle, only it was draped with black cloths. Gone were the fantastic spires and graceful turrets. Now it was just squat and solid. And draped with black mourning veils. Matthew was waiting in the doorway, underneath the guardians.

"What's wrong here, Matthew?" I asked the raven. He looked at me with eyes filled with sadness and pain and replied, "The Boss is dyin'. He won't be here much longer and is talking with his successor." Today, Matthew's shifting between human and bird forms was more obvious, making me wonder what else was going on. He led me through the castle, heading towards the throne room.

I stopped at the door, suddenly seeing Morpheus's successor. It was as if I was seeing double, but in opposite colors. The man he was talking to wore all white and had white hair. Then I noticed the similarities. The visitor had black eyes and pale skin. It was like seeing Yin and Yang personified. Morpheus looked up at me and wearily waved me in. I slowly walked in, looking at the differences to the throne room.

Other than the shape, everything was the same. I stopped a few feet from the throne and stood awkwardly. I didn't know how to begin. Morpheus saved me by pointing to the man beside him. I turned my head towards him as Morpheus said, "Namesake, this is Daniel. He will be taking my place. Soon." I inclined my head to Daniel as he did the same to me. I turned back to Morpheus and took a deep breath.

"Today, my daughters came to me with an interesting story. It involves my wife," I began. I sat down on the ground before continuing my story. "They told me they had found rings in a box of newspaper clippings that look exactly like my wife's. The one she was buried with. And, even stranger, the words Forever and Love were inscribed on the bands. What does it mean?" The dream king slowly unfolded from his throne, his hand wrapped protectively around something.

"I sent them to be found my Elizabeth and Aislynn. Interesting name choice for your younger girl, by the way. It seems your family follows the dream names," Morpheus replied. "They are important to the Dreaming. I do not know why, Destiny did not disclose that. But if they come to you with stories of meeting odd, disturbing, or threatening people, do not discount them. Your daughters will be visited by my siblings." After that exhaustive, for him, paragraph, Morpheus sank back to his throne and held out his hand again.

Feeling deja vu, I again held out my own hand and caught the ring that tumbled down. I noticed Daniel watching carefully, as if cataloguing everything in his mind. The ring again had a green stone, but was streaked with bands of silver. Looking on the band, I noticed Eternity inscribed within. I looked quizzically at Morpheus, but he just smiled.

"Hold on to that, Morpheus Visare Talbot," he told me. "You may need it. This will be the last time you see me. Good luck and take care." Daniel inclined his head one last time as the room faded out. Before everything went completely black, I noticed a very confused-looking man standing in the room behind Morpheus. I thought that he had a decidedly bird-like look to him before surrendering to the blackness of deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

I remember having strange dreams the night before, but nothing made sense. Flashes of color floated across my eyes as land became water and water became land. A strange harmony echoed across the dreamscape and I found myself trying to match that harmony. I must have been talking in my sleep because the next thing I saw was Bethie's worried gray eyes hovering above mine.

"Lynn, Lynn, wake up!" Beth's scared voice came to me. "You were crying in your sleep." I sat up and shook my head, clearing it. My braid flapped against my back, further pushing the strange memory fragments from my dream away. I forced a small smile onto my lips to reassure Beth and said, "I'm fine. I think I was just trying to sing in my sleep." I laughed and rolled over onto my other side. I heard Beth sigh and walk back to her own bed.

Wondering exactly what it was I had seen, I ran through as much of the dream as I could remember. I remembered seeing a castle, that wasn't quite a castle, draped in layers of black water-like cloth. Nothing made any sense until I reached the end of my dream, where I saw a man, a couple years older than me, crouching behind a large black chair. I suddenly realized why I had been trying to cry out in my sleep.

I recognized my father's voice in the harmony that had flowed in my dream. Now, I recognized that harmony for what it was: people speaking, their voices melding together. I didn't try to make sense of the words, everything was jumbled. Instead, after identifying my father's voice, I concentrated on the man I saw in front of me.

He was thin, but muscular and looked strong. He had shaggy black hair that just covered his ears. He seemed confused about something and kept looking at his hands. A few times he actually flapped his arms, like he was trying to fly away. When he turned towards me, away from the throne, I saw he had piercing brown eyes. I shrank back, hoping he wouldn't see me, but he did anyways. His eyes widened further than they already were and he stared wordlessly at me.

I had tried to get away, to warn my father about the man behind the throne, when Bethie woke me up. I wondered who the man was and why my father would be in my dream. I decided not to tell Beth about my dream, and wondered if she had a similar one. I decided to wait until morning, then ask her about her dreams. Fianlly relaxed, I decided to write down what I could remember from the dream, hoping I wasn't starting a journal that would start to document insanity.

I laughed at my crazy thoughts and finished scribing what I could remember. I lay back and thought about the strange dream again. This time, right before the darkness of sleep claimed me, I remembered seeing two people, standing side by side. One wore a brown robe with a cowl over his head. He carried a book, chained to his arm. The other was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He embodied every quality I had ever looked for in all my boyfriends, and was perfect in every conceivable way. He smiled at me, noting my presence, before turning back to the robed one.

Before I could rouse myself enough to write down this new fragment, sleep had claimed me. I dreamed of the man again, but now, all his attention was focused on me. He asked me many questions that night, none of which I can remember nor what I answered.


	6. Chapter 6

I wondered what Lynn had dreamt about that made her cry in her sleep. She never talked or moved normally. I was the one who was restless. Shaking my head, I made my way back to my room. Our rooms were next to each other, Dad's way of keeping us close together even when we were apart. The closeness helped us calm ourselves after nightmares and things. Knowing your twin was right next door did a lot for confidence.

Slipping back under my covers, I slipped back easily into dreams. I started to dream of a man, tall with shaggy black hair. He seemed confused about something as he cowered behind a big black throne. His eyes caught me, though, as he looked in my direction. Full of fear and confusion, they latched onto me and didn't let go. I wondered what his eyes held when he was not frightened.

Hearing a strange mumble of voices, I looked out from behind the throne and saw three people: two strangers and one very familiar to me. My father stood talking to an extremely tall man all in black while another stood silently by. Dad held a ring in one hand, a silver ring with a strange stone. The stone drew my gaze and I nearly stepped out from behind the throne.

Shaking myself, I stepped back into the shadows behind the throne and into the arms of the strange man behind it. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and whispered in my ear, "Who are you? You should not be here." I struggled to get away from him, but didn't feel any fear. I felt no anger or malice directed at me. The man seemed to be holding onto me as though to a lifeline.

"Who are you and what is this place?" I asked, breathlessly. The man was squeezing me so hard, I had to fight for deep breaths. The man's grip loosened as I struggled a bit. Finally, he released his hold somewhat and allowed me to breath. I looked up and his brown eyes gazed thoughtfully down at me. He seemed to be less afraid and a sardonic humor glinted in his eyes.

"Who am I and where are you?" he mused. "Well, the second is easiest answered. You are in the realm of the Dream king Morpheus. He is the one in black on the throne. The man in white is his successor, Daniel. That man talking to the dream king is a mortal named Morpheus. A favorite of the dream king's if I remember correctly." The man paused and thought a moment. Then he continued, "As to who I am, my name is Matthew and until recently, I was the raven of Morpheus."

I went limp in Matthew's arms, wondering how a raven could become a man. I felt a laugh start to bubble out of him and twisted in his grip until I could see his eyes. He didn't have the look of a madman about him and the laugh was anything but hysteric. He seemed genuinely amused by something. Before I could ask what amused him so greatly, my vision started to darken. Suddenly, I found myself awake in my bed, with the alarm going off in my ear.

I turned over but couldn't go back to sleep. Matthew filled my thoughts and I wondered how I could help him, if indeed he needed my help.

I sat up in my bed, wondering when Morpheus' throne would go to his successor. Daniel seemed quiet but intense, but I couldn't say much about him. I looked at the ring in my hand and read the inscription again. Eternity. I started to notice a trend among the inscriptions on our rings. My daughters had Forever and Love, which melded with my Eternity to create an interesting image of the universe. But then again, I could be just stretching things.

Wondering what could happen that would hurt the dream king, I readied myself for the day ahead. I had a hard case today and it was the first day at court. After shaving and dressing, I noticed a woman lounging on the chair in the corner of my room. She was wearing all black, had wild black hair, white skin, and wore a silver ankh on a chain. She was very familiar, even though I hadn't seen her before. She smiled at me and I smiled back, unconsciously.

"Why, hello Morpheus," the woman said. "How have you been?" I said I had been fine and she shook her head. She stood up and came over to look deep into my eyes. She held a finger up against her lips as she looked at me. I wondered what she was thinking, standing there with a small smile on her face.

"You haven't quite gotten over Lauren's death, have you?" the woman asked me shrewdly. I stepped back and looked at her startled. I wondered who she was and saw a resemblance to the dream king. Her smile grew a little wider and she said, "Hmm, wasn't expecting that were you?" I shook my head numbly and sat down heavily on the bed.

"Who are you? Why do you look so much like Morpheus?" I asked, haltingly. She sat back down on the chair and crossed her arms. She cocked her head and replied, "Well, I look so much like him because he's my younger brother. And I am Death." I felt my head spinning and gripped the comforter before I fell off the bed. She knew Lauren and had taken her!

"W-, why did you take her from me? It was so soon," I said, holding back tears. Death looked at me sadly and said, "It was her time. She had to go. If it comforts you, her last thought was of you and the girls." I shook my head and tried to make sense of everything I had heard so far. Death seemed to know what I was thinking, her smile growing wider.

"How many siblings does Dream have?" I asked, remembering Delirium and Desire. Death laughed, a small tinkling laugh, and said, "There's seven of us, including Dream. I assume you've met others of our siblings?" I related my experiences, not glossing over any of the small details I remembered. Death listened quietly and I was struck by her similarity to Anita. I even related the dreams my daughters had had and the one I had just woken up from. I wondered what Death would do with this information. But I mentally shrugged, thinking she'd tell me in her own time.


	7. Chapter 7

I was rather annoyed at the alarm and glared at it after trying to go to sleep again. The damned thing had interrupted before I could finish speaking to Matthew. Rolling over again, I sighed and remembered the feel of his arms around me. I wanted to feel that again and immediately yelled at myself.

"What do you need someone to hold you for?" I asked myself. "What about your future?" I wanted to teach foreign languages at a university. And with the way I saw my future, there was no way for me to do that and have a boyfriend or husband in the mix. I finally gave up on going back to bed and dressed for the day. It was Saturday and we were going to the zoo with a couple of Dad's family friends. I was brushing out my hair in the mirror when I saw Matthew behind me in the reflection. I dropped the brush, gasped, and spun around.

There was no one there, but I still felt as though I was being watched. I shrugged, uneasy, and finished brushing my hair. All the while, I looked carefully at my reflection and not behind me. As I walked down the hallway to the frontroom, I heard Dad's voice. He sounded upset, but as if he was controlling it. I wondered who he was talking to but dismissed it. I talked to myself too, there was no reason Dad couldn't. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and arms wrapped around my shoulders. Before I could react, Lynn's voice came over my shoulder.

"Jumpy today, Sis?" she asked. "What's wrong?" Sitting down on the leather sofa in front of the fireplace, I quickly related my dream to Lynn. She gasped at my description of Matthew and her eyes narrowed but she let me finish. Then she told me her dream. I wondered what was going on and fingered the ring I always wore now. The word love kept flickering through my mind. I wondered if it was in relation to Matthew.

"Something's going on and it's connected to Mom and these rings," Lynn said adamantly. "I think we should go ask Dad what's up." I nodded and moved towards the stairs. As I passed by the door, a pounding startled me. I slowly turned to the door and opened it. Standing outside was a shaggy, black-haired man with brown eyes. They lit up when he saw me standing there. I gasped and had to hold the door to keep from falling.

"Matthew?" I asked incredulously. He smiled at me and held his arms out, luckily in time to catch me as I fainted.


End file.
